Charging device for coking chambers



May 6, 1941. R. F. KRALL ET Al,

CHARGING DEVICE FOR COKING CHAMBERS Filed July 18, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 12M1 @MZZ? 2 y aha, mm W Attorney 5.

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CHARGING DEVICE FOR 'COKING CHAMBERS Filed Jilly 18, 1939 3 Sheets-Shut2 2M Mwm May 6, 1941.

R. F. KRALL EIAL CHARGING DEVIGE FOR COKING CHAMBERS :s Sheets-Sheet 3Filed July 18, 1939 Fig. 2A.

fiwey wwiiu bonising retorts.

Patented May 6, 1941 cameras nsvrca roe some onssmsas Reginald FrankTownend, London, tVcodall-Buckham This invention relates to an improvedsystem of, and apparatus for charging carbonising plants, such ascoke-ovens and retorts.

It is often the practice to charge coke-ovens with small-sized damp orwet coal, for example,

86% of the coal may pass through a screen of /8" mesh, and the coal maycontain as much as 15% or more of moisture. Small-sized damp coal is adifficult material to handle, because it will not flow freely, but tendsto stick and hang up in a container. The damp coal will not how readilyfrom the main storage bunkers of a cokeoven battery into the hoppers ofthe customary type of charging car, nor will it how readily from thecharging car hoppers into the coke oven.

The present invention obviates these difliculties, and facilitates therapid charging of smallsized damp or wet coal into coke-ovens or cartosuch use, however, and is equally useful for charging all kinds andgrades of coal into carbonising plants of the kinds mentioned.

The present invention provides a system of charging coke-ovens andcarbonising retorts, in which a car movable along a battery of cokeovensor retorts carries one or more horizontallyarranged conveyors, with acharging chute having steeply inclined sides at the same end of eachconveyor, and in which each conveyor, while stationary, is charged bypositioning the car he neath the outlet or outlets of a storage bunkerclosed by a horizontal sliding door or doors and opening the said dooror doors to deposit a mound of coal or the like on each conveyor andthen closing the said door or doors, the car then being positioned withthe outlets of each charging chute above an oven or retort to becharged, and the coal is charged into the oven or retort by setting eachconveyor in motion in any desired order to deliver its charge of coalinto the charging chute and so into the oven or retort.

The invention also includes charging apparatus for coke-ovens orcarbonising retorts, comprising a car movable above the coke-ovens orretorts, which car carries one or more horizon" tally-arranged conveyorsand one or more charging chutes, each charging chute co-acting with aconveyor, the said conveyors while stationary receiving an appropriatecharge of coal or the like from a storage bunker, the coal being chargedinto the oven or retort by setting each conveyor in motion to deliverits charge of coal into the associated charging chute and so into theoven or retort.

The invention is not restricted Krall and Frank Sutcliife England,

assignors to 1920) Limited, London, England, a British companyApplication July 18, 1939, Serial No. 235,188 In Great Britain July 19,1938 5 Claims. Q1. 214-18) In the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, both the coal storage bunkers and the charging chutes on thecharging car have very steeply inclined sides, in order to minimise anytendency of the coal to stick.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention, as applied to acharging car for a battery of coke-ovens, will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a vertical sectional elevation through the storage bunkerand charging car,

Figure 2 shows on the left-hand side a vertical section through thestorage bunkers and the charging car perpendicular to Figure 1, whileFigure 2A shows an end view of the car omitting certain details, and

Figure 3 is a plan view of one outlet of the coal storage bunker,showing the outlet doors and the means of operating the same.

It will be assumed that each coke-oven contains four charging holes. Thecharging car comprises a frame-work 4 running on rails along the top ofa coke-oven battery, and carrying four horizontal conveyors 5, ofsuitable length, arranged side-by-side. At one end of each conveyor 5 isa vertical charging chute 6, having very steeply inclined sides; the topof each chute is below the end of the associated conveyor, whilst theoutlet may carry a drop-sleeve I for connection with the charging holein the ovens.

The conveyors 5 are preferably adapted to carry a considerable weight ofcoal and are therefore preferably of the type formed by metal plates 8hinged together, as shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, the conveyor issupported intermediate its ends by a series of rollers 9. Each conveyoris driven by a reciprocating pawl engaging a ratchet wheel I0; the pawlmay be reciprocated through an eccentric drive from the driving motor Has shown in Figure 1. Alternatively, any other suitable means fordriving the conveyors may be used. The vertical level of the conveyorsystem on the charging car can be varied by the screws 12. Suitabletraction mechanism It is provided for driving the car along the ovenbattery.

The small-sized damp or wet coal with which the ovens are charged iscontained in a large storage bunker, which also has steeply inclinedsides to minimise the tendency of the coal to stick, and has four largerectangular outlets l4 arranged across the width of the battery andspaced correspondingly to the conveyors 5 on the charging car. Eachoutlet [4 is closed by two sliding doors i5 which are operated throughrack and pinion mechanism is from a source of power. Inclined scrapersII are provided on the underside of each door l5.

In operation, the charging car is brought beneath the outlets I 4 of thestorage bunker, the conveyors 5 being stationary. The outlet doors l5are then opened and coal falls on to the top of each conveyor 5 forminga mound of coal which fills the width of the conveyors substantially tothe side plates I8, the length of the mound corresponding to the extentto which the doors iii are opened. The amount ofcoal placed on eachconveyor 5 can thus be regulated by the extent of the openingof thedoors 15. The extent to which the doors l5 are opened may be determinedby a limiting device such as a switch l9 (Figure 1) which can be set inany desired position. Alternatively, or in addition, the amount of coalplaced on a conveyor may be adjusted by altering the vertical distanceof each individual conveyor beneath the outlet i l by means of theadjusting screws l2 provided on the car for this purpose.

When the conveyors 5 are laden with the desired amount of coal, thedoors l5 are closed. As the doors close, scrapers 11 cut through the topof the mound of coal to clear away the coal from immediately beneath thedoors I5. It will be noted from Figure 2" (left-hand side) that thecentre-line of each conveyor is displaced slightly to one side of thecentre-line of the outlet doors,

leaving a little more space on the one side into which the coaldisplaced by the scrapers I? can flow without spilling over the tops ofthe side plates l8.

The car then moves off until it is in position with the lower ends ofthe charging chutes 6 above the oven to be charged. When the charginghole covers are removed and the drop-sleeves 1 lowered, the conveyors 5are set in motion by the driving mechanism III, I I, according to theorder in which it is desired to charge through the various holes. Thepawl andratchet drive for the conveyor 5 enables the movement to bestarted very slowly, thus avoiding any overload on the drivingmechanism. As each conveyor 5 begins to move it gradually discharges thebody of coal thereon over the end into the charging chute 6 and sointo'the oven. Due to the steep inclination'of the sides of the chargingchutes 6 and to the fact that the coal is in motion, there is notendency for the coal to stick or build up in the charging chute duringcharging. The conveyor remains in motion until all the coal isdischarged and it is clear that none can be retained on the conveyoritself.

We claim:

1. In a coke-oven battery, a coal storage bunk er associated with thecoke-oven battery, outlets on the said storage bunker, horizontalsliding closure means for said outlets on the storage bunker, a chargingcar movable above the cokeovens comprising the battery, at least twohorizontally-arr-anged band-conveyors on said charging car whichconveyors are adapted to receive while stationary a measured quantity ofcoal from the outlets of said storage bunker, the out lets of thestorage bunker being commensurable in size withthe length and breadth ofthe associated band-conveyors on the charging car and spacedcorrespondingly to said conveyors, a charging chute havingsteeply-inclined sides at the same end of each of said conveyors on thecharging car, with means to operate each of said conveyors independentlyof the others to discharge the coal carried by each conveyor-band overthe end into the associated charging chute and so into the oven.

2. In a coke-oven battery as claimed in claim 1, the provision ofscrapers inclined to the direction of movement on the underside of thesliding closure means on each outlet of the storage bunker; the centreline of each band-conveyor on the charging car being offset from thecentre line of the associated outlet on the storage bunker in order toaccommodate material displaced by the scrapers during the closing of theclosure means.

3. In a coke-oven battery as claimed'in claim 1, closure means on eachbunker outlet comprising a pair of horizontally-arrangedoppositely-moving doors, the extent of opening of which doors isadjustable.

4. In a coke-oven battery as claimed in claim 1, means for adjusting thevertical level of each horizontal band-conveyor on the charging-car.

5. Charging apparatus for a battery of horizontal coking chambers,comprising in combination, a car movable above the battery of cokingchambers, at least two horizontally-arranged band-conveyors on the upperpart of the car at a substantial height above the top of the battery,vertical side plates extending along the sides of each conveyor-band,long charging-chutes having steeply-inclined sides at the same ends of,and associated with, each individual conveyor, the said charging chutesextending substantially over the height of the car, and driving means toset each conveyor gradually in motion independently of the otherconveyors.

REGINALD FRANK KRALL. FRANK SUTCLIFFE TOWNEND.

